The contractor licensing exam is a big step you need to take in order to become a licensed contractor. To pass it, you have to prepare in advance. The more work you put in, the more it will pay off. But just reading books might not be enough. Here are five ways to maximize your learning as you study.

Create a Study Routine
When you’re trying to do something new, you need to train your brain to get used to it. The first few times that you sit down to study, you may find yourself distracted easily because you simply aren’t accustomed to it. Create a study routine that helps to relieve any outside stress and make it easier to focus. You might have a routine that takes as long as an hour, involving coordinating with other members of your household or getting a few chores done first. It might also be comparatively short, as simple as getting yourself a cold beverage and going to your study room. Whatever you decide to do, make it consistent. When you do the same thing every time you sit down to study, you’ll naturally start thinking about it.

Don’t Cram
Although you might’ve been able to get away with cramming in high school, it isn’t a particularly useful practice for adulthood. Much of the knowledge and skills that you need to have in order to pass the contractor licensing exam are things you should know for the job you want to do. Cramming isn’t practical because it doesn’t tend to lead to long-term absorption of information. Instead, break up your study sessions into smaller, manageable chunks. If you start to notice that you are reading to memorize facts and figures instead of building an in-depth understanding, take a break.

Review What You Learn
Learning experts say that you may have to come across the same fact several times before you can really remember it. Review and repetition is key to mastering a subject, more than just having a passing familiarity with it. Devote some time to each session for reviewing what you learned in the last one. You’ll start to notice that your recall is better, which is more important for doing well on the exam. As you approach your exam date, you should spend more time on review than you spend on learning new material. That way, your last few days emphasize long-term retention.

Learn How to Test
It’s easy to assume that having a firm grasp of the subject is enough to pass the exam, but testing is a skill that you have to pick up. Not everyone does well in a testing environment, particularly when there are time limits and proctors. One of the best ways to minimize stress or a poor test result is to get some practice time on the test itself. Most of your studying might happen with few time limits or pressures to get things done. As you get closer to the exam, it’s important to add time to practice working with the type of exam. If you can, take practice exams to help you figure out trouble spots and make improvements.

Get Professional Guidance
When you first decided to become a contractor, you had to spend quite a bit of time working under the guidance of an expert. For the exam, it’s a great idea to take the same path. Teens who get professional assistance in preparing for big exams tend to get higher scores. Similarly, if you take a course that helps you prepare for the exam, you get the benefit of expert guidance designed to help you get a passing score. At CSLS, we offer a variety of courses that cover the subjects you’ll need to know in order to pass the exam.

The more you learn prior to the contractor licensing exam, the better you’ll do. These tips can help. For more information about our expert courses, visit CSLS today!